VINYL REVIEW: The Band ~ S/T
This album has been reviewed with an Onkyo TX-8020 receiver, Jamo S60 SUR bookshelf speakers, Yamaha YST-FSW050 subwoofer, and Pioneer PL-255 direct drive turntable.
I had low expectations for this album -- so colour me surprised that this self-titled album not only meets the hype, it exceeds it!
For context, I reviewed Music from Big Pink last week and found that, while it has a few fine songs, it doesn't live up to the mythos. The follow-up, on the other hand, has no such issues. It works as a cohesive whole.
A big part of this has to do with identity. For the bulk of the album, Robbie Robertson is the sole songwriter, and he's really come into his own.
Another reason is that they're no longer caught up in the worlds of folk and rock. For all intents and purposes, they're an Americana band -- one of the first!
How do I emotionally connect with this album? With admiration. I'm convinced The Band can literally do whatever they want.
The Band is an oddity. The bulk of their members are from Canada, but their genesis was as a Southern rockabilly act known as The Hawks (who backed Ronnie Hawkins). Levon Helm was a carryover of this earlier incarnation, and granted The Band much of their authenticity.
By this album, however, it is Robbie Robertson who began putting his stamp on The Band -- and he was very much a cultural outsider to this genre of music.
It's now here that I feel the need to mention my bias. I have a lot in common with Robbie Robertson. Like Robertson, I am a Jewish/Native man from Canada. He comes from the Six Nations reserve in Toronto, while my family is Metis/Ojibwe from Northern Ontario.
In a certain sense, it's weird that Robertson would gravitate to the American South for his musical inspiration. Nobody is mistaking him for a good ole' boy.
Yet for a certain generation of Native folk in Canada -- and Robbie Robertson was one of them -- this kind of music was a big deal. I knew an old man who got by on a diet of Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. Sure, this younger generation loves their hip hop and heavy metal, yet it's still very easy to find a Native kid playing some country or blues -- and being incredibly good at it.
So The Band's music is, for all intents and purposes, inspired by the South. And it continuously alludes to Southern folk tales. Numerous bands from other countries dip into that well (The Rolling Stones and The Bad Seeds come immediately to mind).
However, it's The Band that does it almost better than everyone else. Their earlier rockabilly incarnation gives them legitimacy, but it's the outside perspective of Robertson that allows them to curate the best parts.
I've been harping on Robbie Robertson thus far, and I should since he wrote almost all of the songs.
The most inspiring aspect of The Band, though, is how they nail it. Easily, they could have become just another folk or psychedelic act, and nobody would have be-grudged them. They probably would have been regarded as amongst the best if they went that direction.
Instead, they threw in country, boogie, blues, and folk and created a concoction that was both familiar and completely unique.
Literally every musician on this album is a virtuoso. Levon Helm deserves a call out for balancing vocals and drums at the same time.
But, oh man, how about the twin keyboard attack of Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel? These guys give the band a gravity that builds a unique sound.
Then there's Rick Danko. His voice is not as characteristic as Helm's but he nevertheless is an incredible ingredient in the mix, and he's a fantastic bass player too.
"Across the Great Divide" - 2:53
"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" - 3:33
"Up On Cripple Creek" - 4:34
"Whispering Pines" - 2:58
"Jemima Surrender" - 3:31
"Look Out Cleveland" - 3:09
"The Unfaithful Servant" - 4:17
"King Harvest (Has Surely Come)" - 3:39
So many great tracks, and I'm tempted to just say they're all winners. But my absolute favourite track is "Up On Cripple Creek" because that's funky as hell.
This album was engineered by Robbie Robertson and John Simon.
Simon had worked on The Band's previous album Music from Big Pink. He also worked on classic albums by Janis Joplin, Simon and Garfunkel, and Leonard Cohen.
Regarding production quality, I believe the dynamic range on Music from Big Pink is superior to this album. I suspect to receive big blowback from this statement since many believe the previous album had "terrible" mastering.
I expect many "audiophiles" to step out of the woodwork and cry heresy. However, I sure as hell am not going to buy three versions of the same album just to do a comparison -- especially if no one's compensating me for the effort.
So if you're going to harp on about how "terrible" the mastering on re-issues are... prove it! And by that, I mean go do a blind hearing test. Prove that you can hear the difference in quality.
Catalogue number is STAO-132, issued by Capital Records, and manufactured in the US in 2008.
The front cover features a brown background with "The Band" in all caps sans-serif shadow characters. Below is a black and white portrait of the entire band.
The inside gatefold features colour and black and white photos of various band members in the midst of performance. It has a matte finish.
The back cover features this quote by The Darktown Strutters' Ball by Shelton Brooks:
*I'll be down to get you in a taxi honey
Better be ready by half past eight
Now, honey don't be late
I want to be there
When THE BAND starts playing...
On the top right is the catalogue number beside the word "STEREO".
There's also personnel credits, copyright information, and tracklist with songwriting credits.
The innersleeve is white with a plastic finish.
The vinyl disc is black. The etchings says, "MASTERED BY CAPITOL", "5099924300810-A (or B)", "S66826", "01", an "RM".
The vinyl label is green with label logo, band name, track list, catalogue number, personnel credits, stereo label, and copyright information written.
I unreservedly recommend The Band on vinyl.
On Amazon, you can buy this for $21.99 new, and $7.95 used. It is also offered for AutoRip. Is it worth your cash? Absolutely!
This album has quickly become a favourite of mine. For me, it ranks up there with The Clash's London Calling and Arcade Fire's The Suburbs. This album is incredibly raw, yet never ever compromises the songwriting or musicianship.
Understand, I was fully prepared for disappointment. Imagine my surprise when I discovered this album lives up to the hype and more!